Lyrebirds pounce on Panthers
The run and movement of Buln Buln ultimately proved too classy for Yarragon in a 19.14-128 to 6.6-42 victory.
Playing at home, the Lyrebirds made it six wins straight to remain undefeated and on top of the Ellinbank and District Football Netball League ladder.
Whilst Yarragon demonstrated they are a much improved outfit - especially with strong efforts in the first and fourth quarters, the Lyrebirds looked a step above.
The match was played in front of an average crowd despite the perfect conditions, with the sun proving a little tricky at times.
The ruck battle proved interesting throughout, with Yarragon's 198cm ruckman Ryan Devine using his greater leap to advantage in ball ups but the stronger bodies of Buln Buln's Matt Gray and Bob McCallum proving pivotal across the ground.
The Lyrebird duo provided great forward targets for their small side, as well as playing that sweeping kick behind defensive position to perfection.
Lyrebird Hayden Baker proved a handful for the Yarragon defence. He marked strongly on the lead several times and clearly got under the skin of his opponents, gaining two 50-metre penalties.
Baker was judged in his team's top two players and booted a game-high five goals in a great outing.
For Yarragon, captain Tyler Payroli did a good job when one-on-one in defence. Yes, he gave away a few free kicks which could have gone either way, but he outbodied his taller opponents several times to take some important contested marks.
Lachlan Shaw also was impressive with his intercept marks in defence, especially in the first and fourth terms when Yarragon was most competitive.
The difference was Buln Buln's time and space when heading forward.
Whilst Yarragon won a good share of stoppages through sheer grunt effort, Buln Buln was cleaner. They were able to feed backwards of the play to find teammates, who could make smarter decisions moving into attack. If this wasn't available, they linked with handball and ran in waves.
The Lyrebirds may have lost height this year, but their smaller players run hard and, on Saturday, worked the corridor better.
Yarragon did have success with their game plan of shorter kicking and staying wide. What let them down was a few skill errors when they eventually centred the ball into the forward line.
However, they have height to bother plenty of opponents and lost no supporters with their effort on the weekend.
The game started with both defensive lineups demonstrating they weren't scared of kicking across to switch the play.
After missing a previous set shot, Lyrebird Reece Campbell kicked the first goal of the afternoon.
Great tackling saw some early holding the ball decisions, with Payroli marking on the goal line to save a certain Buln Buln goal.
After a run of play skirting the far side boundary, Yarragon's Trav Davis marked the ball 40 metres out. He chose to chip the ball to teammate Mitchell Jolley who celebrated his resulting kick for goal. But, his head was soon in his hands as the goal umpire motioned that it hit the post.
The Panthers shared the ball around nicely and worked hard to keep the ball in their half. Against the run of play, Lyrebird Riley Rundell delivered to Hayden Baker about 30 metres out. Baker celebrated his goal from the boundary in great style.
A behind the play free kick to Baker saw him kick a second goal within a minute for a 14-point margin.
The tackling was ferocious, as experienced first-hand by a group of spectators who came a little too close for comfort as the ball spilled over the boundary line.
The siren for quarter time saw the Lyrebirds just in front, 3.2-20 to 1.2-8.
Yarragon coach Jordan Wyatt urged his team not to be stagnant against the smaller Lyrebird forward line. Wyatt, coaching from the side lines, urged his players to keep up their strong intensity.
Off the back of strong defence, Jolly kicked a great goal from 40 metres out in the opening minutes of the second quarter.
An impressive one-handed mark to Panther Liam Smith Butterworth was outdone just seconds later by teammate Thomas Wyatt who slipped but recovered for his own one-handed grab.
Campbell beautifully roved a central marking contest to stream forward and kick from 20 metres out, only to see his kick go wide.
However, Hayden Baker was awarded a free kick and 50-metre penalty to push the Lyrebird lead to 13 points.
A desperate goal line dive from the Yarragon defence was unable to stop a second goal of the quarter, with a third coming just a minute later.
The Panthers stopped the run, with Devine gaining a central ruck free kick and finding teammate Taylor Rainey on the lead inside forward fifty. However, an off the ball hold saw the ball back in the hands of the Lyrebirds.
Panther Nathan Mazza also put in a good handball intercept whilst on the mark, but his resulting kick failed to hit the short target.
Lyrebird Nathan Tutton kicking a goal from nowhere to blow the margin out to 33 points. Another goal followed despite another desperate dive from the Yarragon defender.
Lyrebird Jake Herbel landed heavily after a tunnel just before the half-time siren. Heading into the rooms, the Lyrebirds had lifted to lead 8.5-53 to 2.2-14.
When play resumed, Yarragon showed a little dash and dare, but their kicks into the forward line let them down.
McCallum, despite an almost 360 degree tackle being laid, got a kick away to kick the first goal of the half. The umpire signalled the all clear despite the desperate pleas of the Yarragon defenders that they had fingertips on the kick.
Hayden Baker was soon awarded a free kick for a high tackle before a 50-metre penalty, letting his opponent know all about the resulting goal.
Baker could have had another shot on goal in less than a minute, but a holding the ball decision wasn't granted.
The Lyrebirds sprayed a few shots on goal, as their pressure and defensive set up saw the Panthers unable to clear.
Yarragon's Pollock laid a great tackle for a free kick but their hard work wasn't paying off. Buln shared the ball around freely and soon found Dylan Cann in space to kick a goal.
His teammate Brendan Wall made it two in two minutes after running into the goal square.
A chain of handballs from the Lyrebirds resulted in Campbell taking a strong goal square mark. He slipped trying to play on but was given the benefit of the doubt by the umpire to go back and take his kick, resulting in a goal - his fourth for the game.
Yarragon's Liam Smith-Butterworth answered with a kick off the ground goal to see the three-quarter time scoreline 13.11-89 to 3.3-21.
With injuries leaving the Lyrebirds without a bench, coach McCallum expressed confidence his team could keep winning the ground balls and run with confidence to open the play.
Wyatt urged the Panthers to run out the game out and win the final quarter - and they certainly gave it a good crack.
Yarragon gained the first goal, with Blair Clymo kicking truly from 40 metres directly in front after a contested mark.
However, Gray answered for the Lyrebirds with a long-range goal before Hayden Baker added to his goal tally.
As the spark faded from the game, Lyrebird Jake Baker kicked a goal on the run, Panther Trav Davis kicked the ball straight over the goal umpire's head, and Lyrebird Mitch Nobelius made no mistake with his set shot.
Buln kicked two in two minutes before Yarragon's Zak Hogton kicked the final goal of the game.
Yarragon's Bradley Morgan decided to join the Buln midfield chat at the resulting centre ball up, and it paid off. He won the ball three consecutive times but was tackled before it would be cleared.
The final siren ended the game, giving the impressive Lyrebirds an 86-point win.
Best players for the Lyrebirds were Cann, Hayden Baker, Tutton, Daniel Axford, Wall and Trent Baker, with the Panthers recognising the efforts of Hogton, Pollock, Lachlan Shaw, Payroli, Joshawa Vosper and Smith-Butterworth.